


Seven Red Roses

by Dawnlightsilhouette



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Blood Drinking, Cuddles, First Kiss, Flower Language, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hugs, M/M, Modern Era, Vampire Roy Mustang, Victorian Slang, mentions of hate towards glass doors, mild angst at one point, student Edward Elric, vampire in his bat form, vampire in his wolf form, well not that modern since it doesn't take place during the corona crises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:40:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24073840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnlightsilhouette/pseuds/Dawnlightsilhouette
Summary: It all started with a bat flying against Ed's balcony door, next thing Ed knows is that he spends his evenings hanging out with a Vampire named Roy who can't stop giving him flowers. Their friendship soon becomes love, but can it last? What will Alphonse think of Roy? And who the fuck invented glassdoors? Will they have a happy end? Of course they will, I always write a happy end.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Comments: 7
Kudos: 98
Collections: RoyEd month





	Seven Red Roses

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the 8th day of royed month 2020 prompt: Vampire / shivering  
> It got way longer than expected but why not.  
> As a source for the flower language I used allflorists.co.uk  
> http://www.allflorists.co.uk/advice_flowerMeanings.asp  
> The victorian slang I got from posts on tumblr. If it's too hard to understand, just tell me and I will write in the notes what the slang words mean.

It was late in the evening when Ed finally put down his books. He got up and stretched, then went into the kitchen to make a sandwich. The chaos of books, notes and sofa cushions he'd left behind would be cleaned up tomorrow, right now he was too hungry to do so. If Alphonse were here, he would probably scold Ed for neglecting his apartment and himself, but luckily he had moved in with Winry a month ago and couldn't know what his brother was doing.

Edward was looking into the fridge when suddenly a noise distracted him. It sounded like someone had just thrown a stone at the window and apparently it had come from the living room. Ed frowned. He lived on the third floor, how likely was it that someone would throw a stone at his window? To be on the safe side, he went to check. All the window panes were undamaged, so Ed opened the balcony door to look down from the balcony, but when the door was open and he was about to take a step forward, he paused.

Something was right outside the door, when Edward leaned over it he realized it was a bat. It lay on its back on the balcony floor and did not move. Edward jumped up in terror. Had his balcony door just killed a bat?! How could he determine if the bat was beaten K.O. or dead? Should he bury the bat in his flower pot? Edward frowned in frustration. In his excitement, he grabbed the old handkerchief from his shelf and used it to pick the bat up as carefully as possible. "I'm so sorry, little one", he murmured, "Come on, I'll take you inside and see what I can do." He wrapped the bat in the handkerchief like a cute burrito and carried it into his apartment, where he then carefully placed it on the large table standing between the kitchen and living room.

Then Ed grabbed his phone and started searching the internet for tips on how to deal with bats. While he was still doing that, the bat woke up and clumsily wiggled out of the handkerchief. Edward saw in the corner of his eye how it crawled around on the table and fluttered its' wings and he breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that it was apparently not dead. He continued searching on his phone until he suddenly heard a muffled sound and when he looked up, he noticed that the bat had fallen off of the table. Not again, Ed thought, hitting your head so often in a row must be dangerous. He started to walk around the table but stopped halfway, suddenly very puzzled.

There was a pair of boots on the floor, or to be precise a pair of legs in a pair of elegant black boots. Irritated, Edward went on slowly, peering around the table. Exactly where the bat should have been was a pale, handsome man with disheveled black hair and dark eyes, wearing a long black frock coat from under which the collar of a white shirt peeked out. The man was lying on his back, his face contorted with pain, rubbing his head with one hand as he murmured quietly to himself. When he saw Edward, he fell silent. For a moment they both stared at each other in surprise.

Then Edward jumped back, startled, and stumbled back into the kitchen. He blindly reached for the next best object, caught a pan and held it up, threatening to hit him with it. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you sitting on my bat?”, he demanded to know loudly. The man was visibly startled when he saw Ed ready to attack. He crawled under the table and glanced frightened at him from under it. He opened his mouth a few times to say something, then closed it again, too confused to know what to answer.

"I beg your pardon", he finally stammered, "I don't know. Why I'm here I mean. Where am I either way? Is this a house? Why did I make it into a house without realizing it?”, The confusion and uncertainty in the man's voice were far too real for Edward to think he was a lying burglar. Still, the sudden appearance of the man made him feel uneasy and he was also worried about the bat, but he couldn't see it lying on the floor. Surely Edward whould have noticed if it had flown away.

"Who are you?" Ed repeated. The man dared to peek a little further out from under the table and lifted the tablecloth a little so he could see Ed better. "My name is Roy. The whole name is Roy Mustang. I am pleased to meet you, young sir.“, The man explained in a polite tone and smiled at Ed, who was taken aback and lowered the pan. This guy was definitely not a burglar, which burglar would come up with the idea of introducing himself with his full name, in a tone of voice as if the two had just met at a cocktail party, while crouched under a table under the threat of a pan? Roy looked at him expectantly until Ed finally gave in with a sigh. "I'm Edward. You can call me Ed, everyone does.”, he grumbled. "What a nice name", Roy replied immediately and smiled broadly, which he stopped when Ed leapt towards him and lifted his pan again.

"Where's the bat?", Ed yelled. Roy crawled back under the table. "What bat?", he asked nervously, flinching as Ed jumped under the table with him. "Are you the bat?", he wanted to know, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Roy stared at him with his mouth open. Suddenly realizing what he was doing, he quickly put his hand over his mouth. "No", he replied, but it was too late. Edward had already noticed Roy's fangs. "Are you a vampire?", he asked, and Roy gasped. He shook his head hastily, his hand still in front of his mouth. Ed crawled out from under the table and ran back to the kitchen, grabbed a piece of garlic and rolled it under the table like a grenade. Roy immediately shot out from there until he leaned with his back against the opposite wall of the room. He made a choking noise and looked offended at Ed.

"What was that about?!", Roy shouted. Ed crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. Hasitantly Roy looked away again. "Just because I don't like garlic doesn't mean ... oh!" As he spoke, Roy's gaze drifted to the still half-open balcony door. He sighed deeply and slapped his hand against his forehead. "I collided with the glass door, didn't I?", he asked in a tone so tired that Ed guessed that it was far from the first time that something like this had happened to him. He just nodded, causing Roy to roll his eyes. "I hate glass doors.", he murmured, letting himself slip down the wall.

Ed gazed at his guest. The vampire looked exhausted and contrite and didn't seem like he was going to jump on Ed and drink his blood. Ed stared down at the floor. The poor guy had woken up from unconciousness in a strange place and Ed had immediately shouted at him, threatened him and threw garlic at him. To calm his guilty conscience, Edward took an ice pack from his fridge. He walked to Roy and held the bag on his head, whereupon Roy looked at him with wide eyes. "Thank you", he murmured softly. Ed shrugged. "See it as an apology for almost handing you over to some animal rights activists while you were passed out.", he said, turning away embarrassed. Then Ed got the garlic out from under the table just to have something to do. When he emerged from it, Roy's eyes were on him, but he quickly looked away again. 

The ice pack was still pressed against his head and Ed wondered whether it actually had an effect on an undead but regardless of if that was the case or not, Roy didn't complain. After a while Roy stood up and gave the bag with the now melted ice back. “You have my gratitude, Edward. I shall take my leave now, I mustn't exploit your hospitality any longer.”, he said, a smile ghosting over his face before he suppressed it. Ed took the bag and placed it in the fridge again. “No problem... um... Be careful with the door.”, Ed stammered. They kept gazing at each other for a while, then Roy bowed slightly, turned around and walked out onto the balcony where he spread his arms and turned into a bat. He flew a circle in front of Ed's balcony then he flew away. Ed stepped onto his balcony and gazed into the night sky, but the vampire was gone, so he went back inside, still agitated about the meeting. 

The encounter with Roy stayed in Ed's memory very clearly and when he heard a sound on his balcony door the next evening, he immediately lowered his book in surprise. Ed told himself he must have imagined it and tried to continue reading when he heard it again. Ed got up and pulled back the curtain and, to his surprise, Roy really did stand on his balcony and knocked on the window. When he saw Ed he smiled and waved. Ed opened the door. "What are you doing here?", he wanted to know. He hadn't expected to see the vampire again. "Good evening, Edward.", said Roy, holding out flowers to Ed. Ed stared at the flowers confused. He looked up at Roy then looked at the flowers again. "Uh ..", he said, undecided what to think of the gesture. "These are canterbury bells.", Roy added, as if that would explain everything. His expression remained cheerful and he waited anxiously for Ed's reaction, he almost had a puppy eyes look on his face.

Ed hesitantly accepted the flowers. "Thanks", he murmured. Roy's smile immediately widened. "No, I mean to thank you. For your kindness towards me yesterday.”, he explained and immediatly Ed laughed. "In what way was I kind to you?", Ed asked. Roy's smile faded and he frowned as if the question confused him. "You wanted to help me when I passed out, you gave me an object to relieve my pain, and you expressed your intention to apologize, and all of that even though you knew what I am. I am not aware of how this was not kind.”, Roy replied. The explanation made Ed smile. "Well, if that's how you see it.", he murmured, holding the flowers closer to his chest, "Anyway. Come on in."

Ed turned and went to his kitchen, where he looked for a vase but couldn't find one. That was no surprise since he had never been given flowers before, let alone bought flowers himself. So he just filled a glass with water and put them in there. Then he placed the glass on the table, exactly the one under which Roy had hidden yesterday. Said vampire was busy looking at the books Ed had been reading. Ed went back to the kitchen and made tea. He could also be actually kind, not just kind from the perspective of that dorky Dracula in his living room. If Ed wanted to, he could be as kind as his brother and right now Ed wanted to.

Unfortunately, he only noticed that his motivation made him act faster than his thinking process when he had already placed the teapot and cups on the table. He looked hesitantly at Roy, who put away the book he had just been looking through and walked up to him. "Can vampires drink tea?", Ed asked embarrassed. The expression on his face made Roy chuckle. "Sure we can. Drinks are usually not a problem. Bitch the pot.“, he said and sat down. Ed stared at him for a moment, then he sat down next to him and poured tea into both cups, watching Roy out of the corner of his eye with interest.

"Most drinks? What about food?”, he asked. Roy grimaced. "I have not been able to digest food since my death, which makes it very unpleasant to eat it because my body throws it up again.", he explained and took a sip of tea. Edward's interest was piqued. After all, he was a scientist, so you couldn't blame him for his curiosity. "Seriously, you're throwing everything up again? What about soups? They're close to drinks. Them too?” Roy put his cup back on the saucer, looking pensive. “It depends on the consistency and ingredients of the soup. With thick soups or stews it is the same as with other dishes, but I have no problem with thin soups.”, he explained. "But with garlic?" Roy wrinkled his nose. "That stuff is disgusting. Please never throw it at me again.”, Roy hissed between clenched teeth.

Ed curiously turned to Roy in his chair. "What about your food, what about blood?", he asked. Roy had just lifted his cup again but lowered it when he heard the question. He turned to Ed and studied his expression with concern, but found no fear in it. He cleared his throat nervously. “I don't need that every day and if I have to I can go without it for a some time. And it doesn't necessarily have to be from humans, animal blood is good too. You don't have to worry for yourself in my presence, I prefer not to kill people, least of all someone like you.", Roy explained and drank more tea. Distracted by the new information, Ed was too caught in his thoughts and only noticed Roy's troubled expression when he had already asked his next question. "Have you ever killed anyone?" Roy paused. Lost in thought, he stared into his cup, his gaze fixed as if he were mentally far away. Ed was just about to apologize when Roy answered quietly. "Yes, both as a vampire and as a human. I used to be a soldier. "

There was silence for a moment, then Roy looked back at Ed and forced himself to smile. "What a one-sided conversation, I'm just talking about myself. Please tell me something about you.“, he said with an effortfully cheerful tone. Ed rubbed his neck in thought. "Well", he said, "there isn't much to tell. My name is Edward Elric, I'm 21 years old. I'm studying chemistry and I live in this student flat here.” He gestured around the room, with Roy's eyes following his hand. "Now I live alone here, until recently my brother lived here too." Roy looked at him with interest. "Your brother?" "Yes, my brother. His name is Alphonse and he is a year younger than me and we are best buddies. Now he lives with his girlfriend, our childhood friend Winry.“, said Ed. Roy leaned closer to him curiously. "Does your heart also belong to someone?", he wanted to know. Blushing, Ed looked down. "No, I'm single.", he murmured. Roy smiled but didn't say anything else about that topic.

They talked for a while about Ed's studies and drank the tea until Roy, after he noticed that Ed had yawned repeatedly, finally announced he had to leave. He stood up and thanked Ed for his hospitality. When they parted, they shook hands and Ed could feel how cool Roy's hand was. When Roy took his hand, he didn't put even a bit of pressure on it, he just carefully closed his fingers around it. Then Roy walked to the balcony, turned into a bat like the night before, and flew away. 

The next day it was raining heavily. When Edward came home in the afternoon he was soaked. He dried his hair with a towel and left it loose, then he put on soft pants and an oversized, red hoodie. As the day went on, the rain increased even more, towards evening Ed could hear distant thunder. Frowning, Ed rubbed his left leg where the automail ports hurt. They had felt sore all day and he was very glad that he didn't have to go outside, otherwise it would have felt even worse.

Ed gazed thoughtfully out of his window into the darkness of the rain clouds. The window reflected Ed's living room, from the world outside you could only see the raindrops pattering on the window and running down on it. That changed when a lightning illuminated everything for a moment and Ed saw a dark figure in the light, standing on his balcony. The thunder mingled with the knock on the window and Ed froze for a moment before the almost childlike wave of the figure calmed him down by letting him guess who was standing on his balcony. Ed got up and opened the door. "Good evening, Edward. Wonderful weather, isn't it?”, Roy greeted him cheerfully. He reached into the inside pocket of his coat. "However, I'm afraid they have suffered a bit from it.", he said, taking out a small, soaked bouquet of yellow tulips and holding them out to Ed.

Ed raised an eyebrow. "You know I'm not a girl, don't you?", he asked, just to be on the safe side, but he accepted the flowers nontheless. "I already assumed so the first time we met.", said Roy and took a step back, "Well then." Ed opened the door further and leaned outside. "Where are you going? Aren't you coming in?”, he asked, whereupon the vampire looked at him positively surprised. "I'm all wet, I would drop water all over your carpet.", he explained. Ed rolled his eyes and stepped aside. "Who cares? Come on in!”, he replied and Roy immediately complied with his request. Ed closed the door and placed the tulips on his table while Roy took off his coat and boots behind him. "Come on, I'll get you a towel. You can leave your stuff in the bathroom to dry.”, Ed said.

Roy followed Ed into the bathroom and hung up his clothes, as Ed had suggested. Ed was just getting a towel out of the closet when his gaze fell on the mirror. He paused, looked closer, but there was no doubt, he hadn't been wrong. "Wow, that cliché is true?!”, he shouted excitedly, pointing to the spot in the mirror where Roy's reflection would be if he had one. Roy looked up, startled. "Hm? What? Oh, that. Yes, that's really true.”, he murmured, taking the towel from Ed's hand. He had gotten used to the lack of his reflection a long time ago, so he ignored it, but for Edward the discovery was fascinating. He laughed as he watched the towel appear to be flying through the air as Roy used it to dry his face. "Look, Roy, look!", he called and put the towel over Roy's head and pointed in the mirror, "A ghost! There's a ghost!” He laughed loudly while Roy stood patiently and muttered under the towel that this way he couldn't see anything. Still, he let Ed have his fun and quietly enjoyed Ed's reaction. He patiently let Ed put all sorts of objects into his hand making it look as if they were floating in the mirror.

When Ed leaned against the wall laughing, Roy used the break to run the towel through his hair, messing it up heavily. Then he hung the towel around his shoulders and started to unbutton his white shirt. Ed's laugh stopped as he watched button after button reveal more of Roy's torso. First his strong chest, then his six-pack, then, when he took off his shirt, his broad shoulders and his muscular arms. When Roy hung the shirt next to his coat, Ed was very quiet. He gazed at Roy's torso, the pale skin, the scars, the muscles. Ed didn't notice that his mouth stood open until Roy turned to him. Roy raised his eyebrows. "What is it?", he asked worried, "Is something wrong?" Just one step and he stood directly in front of Ed and carefully touched his flushed cheek with one hand. Ed swallowed. With the wetness of his skin and the damp, disheveled hair, Roy looked like he just got out of the shower and somehow that was incredibly sexy.

Ed quickly looked down, which was a mistake since that way his gaze dropped directly on Roy's abs. "Nothing. It's nothing. I'm fine, I ... um ...", Ed stuttered, then he cleared his throat hoping that it would help his voice not to sound as weak anymore. Unfortunately, it didn't work. "I was just thinking ...", he started, but it was very hard to think as Roy's cool fingertips slowly brushed down his cheek and raised his chin so Ed had to look into Roy's dark eyes. "I thought ... maybe I have a sweater in the closet that is big enough that you can borrow it.” Then maybe I can think and talk clearly again, you damn Adonis. Roy smiled and, as close as they were, Ed could see his fangs. He let his hand travel downwards a little further "You're too kind", Roy purred, "But that's not necessary, I never feel cold." His eyes followed his hand to Ed's neck and Ed was wondering if Roy's appetite was waking up, when suddenly he carefully took one of Ed's strands of hair and let it slide through his fingers.

Roy's eyes lit up when he touched Ed's hair. Fascinated, he ran his fingers through it, lost in thought, so Ed had to call his name twice before he got Roy's attention. "I beg your pardon, Edward, but ...", this time it was Roy who was at a loss for words. He looked at Ed's hair, then back at Ed's eyes. "May I brush your hair?", he finally asked, so quietly that Ed almost hadn't heard him. Ed blinked in surprise. "Uh .. Okay, sure.", he said, moved to stand in front of the mirror and handed Roy his brush. Roy immediately ran both hands through Ed's hair. A happy smile spread across his face as he felt the long blond strands. He took the brush from Ed and carefully brushed through it. "Thank you", he whispered, "It's so beautiful. Like a waterfall of liquid gold ... No, more beautiful, much more beautiful. There is no comparison that does it justice. And it's so soft too.” He gently rubbed his cheek against the side of Ed's head. Ed could feel the blush in his face. "What are you talking about? It's just hair. Maybe a bit too long but I don't see what's so special about it apart from that.”, he mumbled but Roy only chuckled softly. He pressed his nose into Ed's hair and took a deep breath. "I like that you've been robbing the barber. And it's very beautiful hair. You are beautiful from the top of your head to the tip of your toes.“, he whispered next to Ed's ear, making a pleasant shiver run down his back.

Roy took all the time in the world to brush and touch Ed's hair, it probably had never been treated more carefully. When he finally managed to separate himself from it and the two went into the living room, Ed noticed that an hour had passed. They sat on the sofa and talked for a long time until Edward finally fell asleep. Soon he slept soundly and did not even notice that his head had sunk on Roy's shoulder. When he woke up the next morning, he was wrapped in a blanket and Roy was gone. In addition to the flowers from yesterday and the day before, there was a rosebud in a glass on the table.

The following evening Roy brought a yellow rose and a chess board. When Ed had said the night before that he didn't know how to play chess and Roy had offered to teach him, he hadn't expected it to be so soon. Nor that it would be so difficult for him.

"So if I take my horse ..."

"Your knight."

"... then I can make it jump over your little guy ..."

"Over my pawn."

"... and hit your tall lady, right?"

"My queen. Yes, you could in itself, but it's my turn. "

"Oh. Dammit."

Roy smiled and moved a different piece so Ed could still hit his queen nontheless. In general he made no effort to defend himself against Ed, but explained Ed the rules over and over again until he gradually memorized how to move which piece. In the end, he'd let Ed win. Exhausted, Edward leaned back in his chair and pulled his hair. "Once you have a little more practice at it you won't find it so tiring anymore.", Roy assured him while he put away the pieces, "Tomorrow we will do something more pleasant, agree?" Ed sighed and placed his chin in his hand. "No, I have to study for a test tomorrow.", he murmured disappointedly.

And he did as he said. The next night Ed studied well for his test and Roy didn't distract him. At least not on purpose, but the feeling of his hands braiding Ed's hair and putting the Kennedia flowers he had brought into the braid kept Ed drifting off. It was just too pleasant not to enjoy it.

The following evening, Roy was walking around Ed's apartment while Ed was studying. He cleaned up a bit, picked up Ed's clothes that he had left on the floor and neatly folded them, picked up the fallen petals of the bouquets and threw them away and sewed a hole in one of Ed's hoodies. In between, he brought Ed a glass of water or reminded Ed to relax his jaw muscles as he brushed his hair from his face. It was a pleasant feeling to have Roy around him and when he was gone again Ed felt disappointed. Lost in thought, he looked at the white jasmine flowers the vampire had brought him and wished for the next evening to come as soon as possible.

A couple of weeks passed that way. Every evening shortly after sunset, Roy stood in front of the balcony door, dressed like a noble gothic lord and holding a new bouquet of flowers, and every evening Ed grinned with joy as he opened the door. They often talked for hours, sometimes they practiced chess again, but Ed just didn't get any better at it, even though Roy had an impressive amount of patience. Roy bumped his head against the glass door a few more times until Ed stuck a lot of stickers on the inside of the glass hoping this way it could be seen better. Roy developed the habit of turning into one of his two animal forms when Ed had to study again. In his bat form, he usually lay on Ed's shoulder or snuggled into a pocket of the hoodies or hooded jackets that Ed wore so often, enjoying Ed giving him scritches. In his wolf form, it was him that Ed was lying on. He was able to transform into a very big wolf with very soft black fur and Ed loved to brush through it with his hands and scratch Roy behind the ears. He really enjoyed spending time with Roy, the only thing that bothered him a bit at first was that he couldn't stop Roy from bringing him flowers all the time. The evening after he had told Roy that he had no vases, Roy had brought him a whole collection of vases and now they were everywhere, filled with Roy's flowers.

The first time Edward saw Roy not in the evening but in the afternoon and also outside of his apartment was on a cloudy, windy day when Ed wanted to visit his mother's grave. As he walked across the cemetery, he suddenly heard someone call his name and when he turned around he saw Roy sitting on a white stone bench with his back to the wall of the church. Roy was wearing sunglasses with round glasses, his black coat was open and the top buttons of his white shirt were unbuttoned, he had crossed his legs, the silver buttons on his boots were polished to a high gloss. His left hand was on his lap, his right arm was stretched out on the backrest of the bench, and he was holding a dark crimson rose in his right hand. He smiled at Ed the way that let the tips of his fangs be seen.

"What are you doing here?", Edward asked surprised, walking towards Roy. With his left hand, Roy made a gesture that encircled the cemetery. “If something like me has a natural habitat, it's a place like this. You could say that I am at home here. There are even some people I used to know buried at this place.”, he explained. Ed sat down next to him and looked nervously up at the sky. "You won't become dust with as hidden as the sun is, will you?", he asked uncertainly, causing Roy to chuckle softly. "Nosferatu – Eine Sinfonie des Grauens", he murmured. Ed cocked his head questioningly. "This is the title of the first film in which a vampire crumbled to dust just because of sunlight. I saw the film in the theatre before Florence Stoker sued its' makers. Really very amusing for a real vampire. Direkt sunlight bothers me a lot indeed, but it doesn't kill me.”, said Roy. He let his arm drop from the backrest onto Ed's shoulders. "I see.", Ed said, "So you're sitting here enjoying the clouds?" The corner of Roy's mouth twitched and he let his gaze drift over the cemetery. “Actually, I got up early to go to the butcher, but his shop is closed today. When I remembered that, I sat down here and then I let my thoughts wander and now I got the morbs and I couldn't bring myself to do some other productive activity.", Roy said and sighed.

"You can come with me and keep me company.", Ed suggested, which made Roy smile again. "That would be most wonderful. Your presence always raises my mood.”, he replied and stood up. He offered his arm to Ed and Ed took it. They walked together through the rows of graves until they finally reached Trisha's grave. Ed stopped and bent over it. He took a new grave light from his bag and swapped it with the old one, then picked up a few fallen leaves that were lying on it and threw them away and watered the flowers. Meanwhile, Roy stood silently next to Ed, reading the inscription on the grave stone. "She was your mother, wasn't she?", he asked quietly. Ed nodded. "She died of an illness when Alphonse and I were children just a few years after our father left. Then a friend of Mum took us in.“, Ed said and gazed at the grave. He would normally tell his mother's grave a bit about his life now, but since he wasn't alone, he decided not to do so this time. He would have told her about Roy anyway and Roy was there in person now. Roy knelt down next to Ed. "I'm sorry about that.", he said to him, placing the rose on the grave.

They stayed there for a while and remained silent, then Ed turned to Roy. "What about your friends, want to visit them too?", he asked. Roy looked up in surprise. "My friends?" "You said there were people you knew buried here.", Ed explained, getting up. Roy hesitated briefly before getting up. His eyes wandered to another part of the cemetery. Lost in thought, he took Ed's hand and led him there. Again and again he stopped in front of a grave, but hardly said anything and everything he did say was so quiet that Ed hardly heard him. They passed gravestones that had names written on them like Havoc or Hawkeye, Breda, Falman and Fuery, and Roy couldn't stand it anymore when they reached the grave of someone named Hughes. Ed thought he was about to cry, but instead he pulled Ed into a hug and held him tightly. He was visibly upset and Ed regretted asking him about his dead friends. When Roy had calmed down, Ed took his arm again and led him out of the cemetery.

"Let's go somewhere else." Edward suggested as they left the cemetery. "I know a nice café where they serve good coffee and which is often visited by goths so I don't attract that much attention. I'll invite you.”, said Roy, making Ed grin. They walked through the streets together and when they got to the café Roy had mentioned, Ed noticed that it was familiar to him. There were hardly any guests at the moment, so they had free choice of seats. When the barista saw Roy, he called over his shoulder: "Lan Fan, look who's back and he has brought someone with him. Don't we know that guy?" Roy smiled with his mouth closed. "Good day. My chuckaboo and I would like some coffee, please.”, he said to the barista and his colleague, who nodded and went to the coffee machine. When Roy and Ed had sat down, Ed leaned forward. "I know the two, they go to my university. Ling and Lan Fan.”, he said quietly to Roy.

Before Roy could react, Ling came with his tray and placed two cups on their table. "There you go", he said, "Enjoy your date." As he walked away, Roy and Ed looked at each other irritated. "Did he just say date? Why does Ling think we are on a date?”, Ed muttered. Roy plucked sheepishly at the plush ends of his sleeves. "Damfino. Maybe he was just kidding. Or maybe we actually do look like a couple.”, he mused aloud. “Or maybe he just misunderstood you because of the weird way you talk.”, Ed said.

For a short while there was an awkward silence. Roy tried to cover up his nervousness by taking off his sunglasses and cleaning the glasses with a handkerchief. Ed poured sugar into his coffee and stirred it hastily. After a moment, he put away the spoon and looked up shyly at Roy, who immediately stopped moving and returned his gaze. "Is this a date?", Ed asked quietly, feeling the blush spread across his cheeks. "A ... a date? That's ... I mean ... Why would you think ... Um ... Would you ... Would you like it to be a date?", Roy stuttered, while accidentally breaking his spoon in half. Ed quickly looked away. "No?!", he said reflexively, but his gaze went back to Roy and when he saw how disappointed the vampire looked after that, he added, "Well ... maybe. Would you want that?" Roy was silent and bit his lip, his fangs cutting his skin. "I ... I would not presume ... But ... I admit that I would be pleased if it was a date.", Roy stuttered, but was interrupted by Ed taking his napkin and wiping the drops of blood from Roy's lower lip.

When Ed attempted to pull his hand back, Roy gripped his wrist. Without a word they kept eye contact. Ed could feel his heart beating faster and he was sure Roy could feel it through his fingers on Ed's pulse too. "Would you go on a date with me?", Roy asked so quietly that he could barely be heard. Ed opened his mouth to say something, but no word came out, so he closed it again and nodded instead. A big grin spread across Roy's face and he kissed Ed's hand. 

After drinking their coffee, they continued walking through the city. They strolled through the little streets and chatted, pausing every now and again to look in a shop window or to look at a building about which Roy could remember a funny story. He had been there when many of the buildings had been built and his memory was excellent. They passed a square where some street performers performed tricks and watched them. Finally they went to the shopping arcade.

Ed pulled Roy to a shoe store where he tried on a pair of six inch red high heels, but to his disappointment he was still a little smaller than Roy in them. "It can't be true! You damn giant!”, Ed cursed while Roy couldn't stop laughing. "You're just too small.", he said, lifting Ed by the hip with ease, as if he didn't weigh anything. Ed immediately started fidgeting and pulling on Roy's hair and clothes. "Who are you calling way too tiny, huh, you stupid bastard?!?!", he shouted angrily, but Roy didn't listen to him. "The shoes look great on you, but I don't think you can walk comfortably in them. I could carry you though.”, he pondered and adjusted their position so now he carried Ed bridal style. Ed blushed and mumbled into Roy's shoulder that he should let him down. Despite Roy's compliments, he refused to buy the shoes.

Next they went to a clothing store and with a lot of begging and use of his persuasion skills Roy actually managed to get Ed to try on a black suit. “I feel silly. That looks stupid.”, Ed complained as he spinned in front of the mirror. He turned to Roy, crossed his arms and pouted. “No, you look gorgeous. Simply divine.”, Roy purred into his ear and hugged him. He kissed Ed's temple and ran a hand through his hair while his other hand traveled down to Ed's thigh. “You look so great in these pants. I'm gonna be drooling, if you wear gas pipes like these.”, he murmured, running his hand over Ed's thigh, along his side and over his shoulder. Ed melted under the compliments and touches. "And besides", Roy whispered,"you also look really good in red." Confused, Ed pulled away from him and looked down at himself. He discovered that Roy had managed to put a red tie on him while he was distracted. “Oh, you dorky bastard.”, he moaned in annoyance. Nevertheless he let Roy buy the suit and tie for him. 

As they made their way to the cash register, Ed noticed a part of the shop that immediatly caught his attention. Giggling he pulled at Roy's sleeve and ran ahead. Roy followed slowly, puzzled by Ed's sudden enthusiasm. "Ed?", he asked, but he had lost sight of him between the many clothes. He immediately accelerated his steps and looked around in all directions. When he saw Ed, he stopped abruptly and burst out laughing. Ed grinned and swished the cloak around him. "Well, what do I look like?", he asked, spinning on the spot. Roy had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over. Since he could not speak, he simply gave a thumbs up sign. "I bet it looks a lot better on you.", Ed said, taking off the cloak and putting it around Roy's shoulders. Now it was Ed's turn to laugh while Roy adjusted the cloak and straightened up the collar. The cloak was deep black on the outside and dark red on the inside and felt silky, it was long enough to reach Roy's ankles, with Ed it dragged on the floor. Roy swung the cloak around him and spread his arms. "How do I look?", he asked Ed with a big grin that showed his fangs. Ed dropped into Roy's arms and Roy took the edges of the cloak and hugged him so that he and Ed were wrapped up. "It really suits you. Especially with the outfit. You look like a vampire from that musical, except more convincing.", chuckled Ed. He gazed at Roy with big puppy eyes until Roy sighed and bought the cloak as well. 

As they left the shop, Ed discovered a butcher shop nearby. He showed it to Roy who shook his head. “I already know this shop, it's no alternative. The people who work there find me creepy.”, he explained and nuged Ed to make him move on. Ed raised his eyebrows. "Why would they find you creepy?", he wanted to know. "Imagine a pale, black-clad man comes into your shop and politely asks if you would sell him gallons of blood." Ed didn't know what to say to that and they walked on.

Roy kept his wallet ready all day. He bought Ed a pair of golden, skull-shaped earrings with rubies in the eye sockets, an ice cream sundae, some new hair bands, and a bouquet of ranunculus flowers, all the while ignoring Ed's halfhearted complains about not needing to be pampered and not being a girl. 

When they finally arrived at Ed's apartment, the sun was already setting so Roy could take off his sunglasses. Ed hung up his and Roy's coats next to the door and then wanted to go to the living room, but Roy pulled him back by his hood. He insisted that they first stow the new clothes, which Ed could understand, but he grumbled anyway, so Roy threw him over his shoulder like a sack and carried him along with the shopping bags into Ed's bedroom. There he dropped Ed onto the bed and carefully hung the new suit in his closet while Ed lay there pouting.

Once he was done Roy dropped onto the bed next to Ed. "That was a nice day.", he said, stroking Ed's hair. Ed immediately smiled. He rolled over and put his head on Roy's chest. "True, it really was.", he replied quietly and closed his eyes relaxed while his fingers drew circles on Roy's stomach. "I still can't believe you made me buy this cloak.", Roy murmured, and Ed started laughing again. "It looks good on you.", he repeated. He sat up and pushed Roy's upper lip back with his index finger. "Especially in combination with your fangs.", he added, tapping one of Roy's sharp canines.

Roy immediately bolted upright and grabbed Ed's wrist so quickly that Ed had barely seen the movement. His eyes were wide open, staring at Ed, completely stunned and a little worried. There was silence as both wondered about what was going on in the other's head. "Are you uncomfortable with someone touching your teeth?", Edward asked softly, ready to apologize for his thoughtless actions, but to his surprise Roy snorted. "Am I uncomfortable with it?! Admittedly, nobody has touched my teeth so far, so I can't judge it, but...", Roy lowered his gaze and slowly let go of Ed's wrist," I know that you are not afraid of me, you don't need to, yet it amazes me how lightly you handle me being a vampire.” “ Why shouldn't I?”, asked Ed. He almost felt a bit silly because Roy sounded like it was obvious, but Ed himself still didn't understand what he meant. Roy couldn't help but snort again and it sounded surprisingly tormented. "For example because I could easily tear you to pieces without a chance for you to fight back?!", he suggested. "But you wouldn't do that.", Ed said, brushing some of Roy's hair out of his face. Roy automatically leaned into the touch. He sighed resignedly. Gently he placed his hand on Ed's and looked him into the eyes again. "No, I wouldn't.", he confirmed quietly. His gaze was soft and loving, and if he had put any effort into trying to convince Ed that he was dangerous, he had ruined it now.

Roy took a deep breath. "If you really want to, you may touch my teeth.", he offered to Ed, confirming his words with a kiss into Ed's palm. Ed grinned and slid closer to Roy. He carefully held both hands to Roy's face and leaned forward. "But be careful, they're sharp.", Roy warned, then pulled his lips back and Ed had a clear view of a real vampire's teeth. Most teeth looked like normal people's teeth, or rather like that of normal people with strong teeth. But at the corners of the jaws they were unusually pointed, the canine teeth were the most noticeable. They were big and long and their surface was very smooth, Ed didn't feel the slightest bump as he stroked them with his index fingers. In normal condition, they were large and pointed enough to attract attention, but when Roy moved his jaw muscles, they seemed to extend further until they reached the bottom row of his teeth. 

"That's really awesome.", Ed muttered. He gently ran his fingers up and down Roy's teeth for a while before pulling them back. "But aren't they sometimes impractical? Do you cut your lips at them sometimes? That would be a form of drinking blood too, I guess. What if you want to kiss someone, wouldn't they get in the way?”, Ed asked. A smile spread across Roy's face and he hooked his index finger around Ed's chin. Gently he kissed Ed on the lips. "You tell me.", he whispered as he pulled back. Ed was frozen. The contact had been so short that he almost thought he had just imagined it, but his lips were still tingling. Roy watched Ed blush and leaned forward again. Once more his lips were on Ed's and this time Ed reacted. He clung to Roy's shoulders and pulled himself closer to him. He kissed back rapturously, pressed himself against Roy's chest, his eyes closed and he sighed softly as Roy's arms wrapped around his waist. Roy carefully slid his tongue into Ed's mouth and circled Ed's own, making Ed moan. The kiss was tender and slow, they enjoyed it to the fullest and only parted when Ed needed air. He snuggled up to Roy as he breathed deeply and enjoyed how Roy held him tightly and ran a hand through his hair. They lay there for a long time and shared many kisses until Ed finally, exhausted by the long day and relaxed by Roy's touch, fell asleep.

"Edward", whispered a deep voice into Ed's ear, "Edward, wake up." With an annoyed groan, Ed pressed his face deeper into the pillow, but that didn't help. He was shaken by the shoulder and his name was called several more times until he finally sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. "What is it?", he growled. When he finally had his eyes properly open, he saw that he was wrapped in his blanket and Roy was sitting close to him. "Your noise machine went off and I think I accidentally broke it. You have to go to university, don't you?”, Roy explained, but Ed dropped his head against Roy's shoulder. "Five more minutes", he mumbled, but his request was not answered. Roy picked him up bridal style and carried him to the kitchen, ignoring Ed's half-hearted attempts to defend himself. Once there, he shifted Ed on one arm and made coffee with his free hand and when Ed was handed his favorite mug full of hot coffee, he felt a little less offended.

After drinking it, Roy placed him back down on the floor. "I'll make breakfast for you, you can meanwhile put on some fresh clothes.", he said, pressing a kiss to Ed's forehead. Maybe he deserves forgiveness for waking me up, Ed thought, and headed back to his bedroom, where he got a fresh pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a red hooded jacket from the closet and changed into it. Then, when he walked into his bathroom to brush his hair, he found it was elaborately braided, so he went back to the kitchen instead. "What happened to my hair?", he asked, eyeing the toast slices and fried egg Roy was preparing. "I did", Roy replied with a shrug. He took one of the ranunculus blossoms he had bought for Ed the day before and put it into his braids with a big grin.

While Ed inhaled his breakfast, Roy looked out of the window in worry. "It was raining last night and now all the nice clouds are gone. Damn it. I'll get a sun burn on my way home.”, he muttered under his breath and let himself drop into the chair next to Ed. "You could stay here.", Ed suggested between two bites. Roy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I don't have a coffin that I could offer you, but at least you won't burn yourself.", he added and Roy immediately smiled. "If you don't mind, I'll be happy to accept the offer.", he said. When Ed finished eating, he got his bag and shoes and Roy kissed him goodbye, then Ed left the apartment and headed for his university. 

Once there, he ran straight into his classroom and dropped into his usual seat right next to Alphonse. He murmured a greeting and rummaged in his bag for his books and notes, but was distracted when Al touched his hair. "The braids look great. And the flower makes it all perfect, like the cherry on top.”, Al said with a big smile. Ed flinched. He hastily plucked the flower from his hair. "I forgot about that.", he murmured, feeling the blush creep across his cheeks. Roy had probably not forgotten about it, he had just said nothing when Ed walked out of the apartment with it. Alphonse elbowed him into the side. "Is it from your admirer?", he wanted to know. Ed's eyes widened in surprise. He wanted to deny it, but it was too late, he couldn't lie to his brother. Al laughed softly. "Ling texted me yesterday that you had a date with someone in the café where he works. I have the impression that that's true.”, Al explained and looked at the flower up close. 

He laughed at embarrassment on Ed's face and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. I'm happy for you, honestly. It's nice that you finally have a relationship, too.”, he said and again Ed didn't know what to answer. He didn't actually have a relationship with Roy, did he? They had only had one real date, but on the other hand, they had spend every evening for more than a month together and Roy had always brought flowers with him, they had even cuddled a few times. And then there were the kisses from yesterday and today. Besides, they had behaved like a couple just this morning and Roy was currently sleeping in Ed's flat. Alphonse startled him from his thoughts by tapping him on the shoulder. "No need to panic.", he said, "But if you're serious about this guy, Winry and I would like to meet him if that's okay."

When Ed got home the flat was tidy and Roy's coat and boots were in the same place as before, other than that Ed saw no sign of Roy's presence. He took off his shoes and sneaked into the living room, where he put down his bag as quietly as possible. The sofa was empty, and when Ed searched the flat curiously, he found no sleeping vampire in the kitchen, bathroom, or Alphonse's former room. Carefully he opened the door to his bedroom and peered inside. The curtains were drawn tight here, the blinds were lowered, and the blanket was spread over Ed's bed, under which Roy's contours emerged, like under a shroud. Ed tiptoed closer and carefully lifted the blanket so he could see Roy. The vampire lay in the bed like in a coffin, legs stretched out, arms folded across his chest, eyes closed and without breathing. Ed lowered the blanket again and left the room.

Ed stayed in his living room for the rest of the afternoon. He studied and ate a sandwich, listened to music on his headphones, and ,finally, sat down on the sofa with a book, and immersed himself so deeply into it that he didn't even notice that the sun was setting outside. What he did notice instead was a sudden weight on his lap and when he looked down he saw the familiar head of a big black wolf looking at him with dark puppy eyes from under the edge of the book. Ed put the book aside and scratched Roy behind the ears and immediatly Roy waved his tail. Ed ran both hands through the soft fur and snuggled up to the wolf. He would have preferred not to stop, but he needed to talk to him. "Roy, my brother asked me about you today. He found out about our date through Ling.”, he began, but Roy didn't seem to be listening to him properly. He licked Ed's cheek and rubbed his head on Ed's shoulder until Ed pushed him away gently.

"He asked me whether we are in a relationship.", Ed said. Roy changed back into his human form and sat up. He pulled Ed onto his lap and kissed him. "And are we?", he wanted to know. Ed smacked him on the back of the head. "You ask that after you act like that, you idiot ?!", he shouted, dropping his head on Roy's shoulder. "I've never been in a romantic relationship. I didn't even kiss anyone until yesterday.”, he admitted quietly. Roy held him closer to himself and pressed his nose into Ed's hair. "Would you like to be in a relationship with me?", he asked, sounding a little shy. Ed immediately straightened up and kissed Roy. "Yes", he whispered against his lips. 

After a few minutes, the two let go of each other again. "Alphonse and Winry want to meet you.", Ed muttered, "I haven't told Al anything about you until now, I didn't know how to explain that you are a vampire." Roy's eyes widened in surprise. "You want to tell him that?", he asked puzzled. “Alphonse and I have been best friends and always there for each other since we were kids. I've never had a secret from him.”, Ed said, tugging nervously at Roy's shirt collar. Roy was silent and thought about it. He frowned and massaged his temples. After a while, he wrapped his arms around Ed and hugged him. "The most important thing for me is that you are happy. If you want to tell Alphonse what I am, do that. And I will meet him too.", he said,"I will invite you and him and his girlfriend to dinner. I know a fancy restaurant. We could go there on Friday, for example.” At that Ed almost knocked Roy over with enthusiasm and covered Roy's face with kisses.

Alphonse and Winry agreed and before Ed knew it, it was Friday. They agreed to meet in Ed's flat and then drive to the restaurant together in Roy's car, Roy would pick them up at eight o'clock. Al and Winry already arrived in the afternoon. At five minutes before eight, Ed ran around the flat nervously, trying to tie his tie while walking, but he couldn't. He was glad that Roy had bought him the suit, but that didn't mean he felt comfortable in it. It was very uncomfortable in fact, the white dress shirt had too many buttons in his opinion, and whoever had invented ties could be sure of Ed's eternal grudge. Alphonse was wearing a suit too, and in a to Ed inexplicable way, he had managed to put it on without a problem, and Winry was wearing a modest, blue dress that she just had to slip into. Only Ed struggled with his outfit.

When the door bell rang at exactly eight o'clock, Ed was standing in the bathroom, attaching the new skull earrings to his ears. Startled by the sudden sound, he flinched and leapt to the bathroom door, but Alphonse walked past him to the front door. "Take your time, I'm gonna open.", he said to Ed, who then paused. Al opened the door and froze. He blinked in amazement and eyed Roy from up and down. Ed hurried to his brother's side and when he saw Roy he grinned. "Good evening", Roy said, taking off his top hat, smiling politely with his mouth closed. He was wearing a black frock coat that reached his knees, that had a sort of cape attached around his shoulders. His dress pants, as well as the patent leather shoes, the tie, his leather gloves and the tailcoat he wore were also black and of high quality. In colour contrast, his shirt was white and his vest was made of dark blue silk. He looked as if he were taken from the set of a historical film.

Ed couldn't help but grin. "You look great. Come in.”, he said and immediately Roy slipped past Alphonse and hugged Ed tightly. "That's something you need to say, beautiful.", he murmured in Ed's hair and kissed his forehead. He ran his fingers through Ed's unbraided hair. "You really look like you have a mane of golden silk. Will you leave it open?“, he asked hopefully. "You and your obsession with my hair. Fine.”, Ed sighed and pulled Roy by the hand into the living room where Alphonse had already walked to while they had greeted each other to let Winry know that Roy had arrived. Winry stared at Roy as surprised as Al, but Ed tried not to be put off by it. He cleared his throat nervously. "So. This is my brother Alphonse and his girlfriend Winry. To be precise, she is our friend, well, our childhood friend, we have known her forever, but she is also Al's girlfriend. Winry Rockbell.“, Ed explained. Roy smiled his polite smile again. First he shook hands with Alphonse and introduced himself with his full name, nodding to him, then he did almost the same thing with Winry, except that he didn't shake her hand, but turned the back of her hand up as if to kiss her on the hand, which, to Ed's relief, he didn't.

After the introductory round, in which everyone was either nervous or confused or Roy, Al and Winry fetched their coats and shoes. Edward wanted to join them, but Roy stopped him. He straightened Ed's suit and skillfully tied the tie, then took a white carnation blossom out of his coat pocket and tucked it into Ed's buttonhole. After that he let Ed go get his coat.

When they left the house, Ed was pleased to see that Roy's car was a Mustang. Roy held the passenger door open for him, while Al and Winry got in in the back, then they drove off. Roy's driving style was a strange mix of too much and too little caution, with speeds varying entirely. Sometimes he drove so fast that all three humans mildly panicked, sometimes so slowly that he almost stopped traffic. When Ed made a comment about his driving style, Roy simply muttered, "It's just not the same as a horse or a carriage." Nevertheless, they arrived safely at the restaurant. Roy hadn't exaggerated, it was really fancy and expensive. The waiters wore elegant uniforms, all guests wore evening wear, there was live music from a band. On their table there was a tablecloth that was so long, it touched the floor. A flower arrangement and a candle stood on it, the napkins were folded beautifully.

Ed would not have admitted it, but his surroundings intimidated him. He had never been to such an expensive place, and neither had Al or Winry. The three students gave each other nervous looks and when they saw the prices on the menu they were really tense. Alphonse leaned over to Ed. "We can't afford any of this.", he whispered, looking at the menu. Ed didn't know what to answer, but he didn't need to. "As I said, I invite you. Please choose whatever you want.”, said Roy. Al blinked, surprised that Roy had heard him. He exchanged a look with Ed, who just shrugged his shoulders, and chose one of the least expensive dishes. Ed just ordered something that sounded good, and Winry followed his lead, however she also ordered a garlic bread. Ed bit his lip and watched Roy's reaction from the corner of his eye. For a moment Roy looked as if he was going to punch Winry, but within seconds he had a neutral, friendly expression again. He ordered something light and a bottle of water. When the waiter asked what wine they wanted, Roy passed the question to the three students, but none of them asked for any. "What about you, sir?", asked the waiter. The corners of Roy's mouth twitched. "I never drink ... wine.", he said quietly.

After the waiter was gone, there was an uncomfortable silence. Ed chewed his lip nervously. Up until now Winry and Alphonse had no proper impression of Roy, except that he dressed like a Victorian goth lord, couldn't drive, but had enough money for expensive food. And, of course, that he showered Ed with flowers, both of them had been amazed when they had seen the many vases in Ed's apartment. But that knowledge wouldn't be enough for them. Winry had said many times that she would scare anyone away who she didn't think was good enough for Ed, and Al wouldn't let go until he knew Ed was in good hands. And that was just their standard for a human, what would the two say if they knew Roy was a vampire? Ed was taken out of his thoughts when Roy lay his hand on Ed's, which had been playing with the napkin in his nervousness. He smiled confidently at Ed, perfectly calm, as if he had no concerns.

Al started. "How did you two get to know each other?", he wanted to know. Ed almost slapped his hand against his face. He couldn't admit that he accidentally kidnapped Roy while he was passed out in his bat form, but he didn't have to. "It's making me feel a little poked up to admit that, but I bumped my head against a glass door and Edward helped me. After that we made friends.”, Roy explained truthfully and gave Ed a loving look. “It was so sweet how you took care of me.”, he said, making Ed roll his eyes. “You really did hit your head very hard, didn't you?”, he answered with a pout. "Against a glass door?!", Winry repeated incredulously. Roy's gaze immediately darkened and he looked at her with narrow eyes. "A glass door, indeed. I don't know who came up with the idea of using doors through which you can see and why.”, he growled quietly, but calmed down again when Edward pressed his hand. Al cleared his throat. "And uh ... what do you do for a living?", he asked, trying to use a casual tone. This time Ed was just as curious about the answer. He had never asked Roy about it, he hadn't really assumed that he had a job, being a vampire, but somehow he was able to finance the many flowers and everything else. “Once I finished school I was in the military for a while. After that I worked in a management position for a short time, then I inherited some money and quit my job. With stock speculation I increased my money until I put aside a small fortune, from which I now mostly live. Occasionally I take on an employment for a short time.”, he told them. The look on Al's and Winry's faces as their eyes met, let Ed know, that they were satisfied with this answer.

"What about you? Ed said you attended university.”, Roy added. They began to tell him that Al studied chemistry and Winry studied mechanical engineering, and for a while the conversation was distracted from Roy. The conversation flowed smoothly and Ed was almost relaxed when the dishes were served. Roy had excellent control over his facial features, but the way he looked at Winry's plate and how he tensed his jaw made it obvious to Ed that he hated her choice of spices. For the first time, Ed realized what a good actor Roy could be. He still had the same friendly expression and asked questions about what the three were telling him, showing his interest. You had to look closely to see that he had stopped breathing and that every time Winry bit into her garlic bread he looked at the bread with hatred. Ed couldn't say for sure whether it was the garlic or the fact that he couldn't digest his food, but Roy stirred and poked at everything on his plate more than he actually ate and he chewed every bite for a long time. The fact that he ate hardly anything only became apparent when the other three were already done eating and he wasn't. "What's wrong? Don't you like it?”, asked Winry. Roy looked at her as if he didn't understand why she would ask this question. "I don't have much appetite.", he replied quietly, forcing himself to eat half of his plate empty. Ed wanted to stop him, but he couldn't have explained that to the others, so instead he took his own fork. "May I steal something from your plate? I myself still have some appetite.”, he said and Roy gave him a grateful look. 

After they had all eaten up, Roy's restlessness grew stronger, due to him feeling sick, and thus became slightly noticable. His fingers drummed on the table and his eyes lost a little of their warmth, but he was still doing well even when he became the target of questions again. "How old are you actually?", Winry wanted to know. The corners of Roy's mouth twitched. "The last time I celebrated my birthday, I got 30 years old.", he replied calmly. Ed tried not to show that this statement irritated him. "Then you're a few years older than Ed. Doesn't that bother you?”, Winry asked. Ed almost kicked her under the table. It was typical for her that she made her announcement to thoroughly examine every admirer of Ed true. "As long as it doesn't bother Ed, I don't care about it.", Roy replied in a perfectly calm voice but with anger in his eyes. "You gave Ed some expensive presents. You do seem a bit like his sugar daddy.”, said Winry. Al ellbowed her ribs gently and shook his head slightly to signal that she was gradually going too far, Ed on the other hand wasn't that subtle. "Hey, it's enough! He is not my sugar daddy, he is my boyfriend!“, he hissed at her, slamming his palms to the table. Winry raised her eyebrows, not quite ready to end her interrogation. "Do you see it that way too?", she asked Roy, ignoring Al's sigh and Ed's eye rolling. Roy looked confused. He cleared his throat embarrassed. "I can't tell.", he said quietly. All three of them immediately stared at him with raised eyebrows. "What do you mean, you can't tell?", asked Al. Roy shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know what a sugar daddy is.", he admitted, and all three burst into laughter.

The conversation went on for a while before Roy finally excused himself and left the table. As soon as he was a few meters away, Alphonse and Winry leaned over to Ed. "Is he always like this?", the two wanted to know. Ed looked back and forth between them. "What exactly do you mean?", he asked. "The way he dresses...", said Winry. "The way he talks ...", said Al. "How little he eats ...", added Winry. "How he acts around you ...", added Al. Edward sighed. "Alright, one by one. Yes, he always dresses like that, but today he dressed up, usually his clothes are more modest. Yes, he always talks like this. I don't know, I haven't seen him eat often enough. Yes and no, normally he would cuddle me more, but in a restaurant it doesn't go well.” As he told them all this, he counted the points that the two had raised on his fingers. "What about your automail? Does he think it's weird?”, asked Alphonse worriedly. Edward shook his head. It had happened many times that people had made comments about Ed's artificial limbs, but they hadn't bothered Roy one bit. "He seems alright. What do you think?”, Winry asked Alphonse. Before Alphonse could answer, the band started playing again and right after that Roy came back to the table. Instead of sitting down, he took Ed's hand. "Would you grant me a dance?", he asked with a charming smile that Ed couldn't say no to.

He let Roy lead him to the dance floor, where he put one hand on Roy's shoulder and the other in Roy's hand. Roy put his free hand on Ed's waist and the two started moving to the rhythm of the slow music. To Ed's relief, there was barely any need of his nonexistent dancing skills and Roy led him skillfully. Ed suppressed the impulse to look around to see if Winry and Alphonse were watching them and instead leaned his forehead against Roy's chest. Immediately Roy placed his chin on Ed's head. The two were silent for a while. "It's going well so far, isn't it? I didn't even have to lie.", Roy muttered,"You didn't? You're not really 30, are you?”, Ed asked. "I didn't claim to be 30. I said that my thirtieth birthday was the last one I celebrated. After my death I stopped celebrating. That wasn't what she had asked about but still I didn't sell her dogs.”, Roy explained, making Ed giggle. "And in which year was your thirtieth birthday?", he wanted to know. "That was in 1865."

Finally, they made their way home. Roy dropped Al and Winry right at their apartment, both felt a bit seasick from Roy's driving style, but still they were happy with Roy. "You're really a cool guy," Alphonse told Roy as they said goodbye. After Roy got Ed's confirmation that it was a compliment, he returned it, but Alphonse wasn't quite finished. "But I still warn you, if you don't treat my brother well or if you break his heart, you've got something coming.", he threatened in a friendly tone that deprived his words of any sharpness. Roy looked at him expectantly, as if he assumed Al would elaborate on his statement. After he didn't, he cleared his throat. "Is that all?", he wanted to know. Al looked at him blankly, which made Roy sigh. "It would be more appropriate to threaten me a little more. If you think I'm suitable, you don't have to duel with me right away before you acknowledge me as worthy of your brother, but you could at least tell me you'd ram a stake in my heart or something like that, should I make Ed unhappy. But well, I understand, except for Edward, you have no siblings and Ed has never had a relationship, so your lack of experience in talks like this is natural. If you would like tips in this area, you are welcome to ask me, I had a lot of sisters and I am accordingly experienced in it.“, Roy explained and patted Alphonse on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

When they arrived back at Ed's flat, Roy actually looked exhausted from the evening. He took off his frock coat, tailcoat, and tie, dropped his top hat on the floor and put his shoes next to it, then dropped onto Ed's bed and lay there, with the back of one hand over his eyes. The fact that he wasn't trying to keep everything tidy was a clear sign for Ed that the dinner had taken more effort of him than Roy would admit. He took off his suit jacket and tie and unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt, then he sat down next to Roy. He leaned over him and kissed his cheek. "You did well. It was a great evening. Thanks for trying so hard to make a good impression on them.”, Ed murmured, making Roy grin. "That goes without saying, after all you said that the two are important to you and are your family.", he replied, raising his hand away from his eyes to look at Ed. "I'm just glad it worked out so well. It was close, I almost ruined it.”, he admitted, laughing softly. Ed looked at him questioningly. "I was lucky there was no one in the men's toilet when I got there, so I didn't have to wait and could walk straight inside without anyone noticing the lack of my reflection or hearing me vomit. It might have become a disaster if I had had to wait. Once I vomited in a restaurant in the hallway because of that, it was really unpleasant.”, explained Roy. Ed frowned and gave him another kiss. "I'm sorry that you had to endure such hardships because of me.”, he said but Roy just laughed. "Your gigglemug alone is worth all the hardships in the world. It wasn't that bad. The only problem is that I'm completely empty now. Would you be so kind to get the hip flask out of my coat? ”

Ed did what Roy had asked him to do, but when Roy unscrewed the hip flask and attempted to drink from it, he stopped and cursed. Angrily, he tossed it to the floor and ran a hand through his hair. "I was so busy with everything else that I forgot to refill the stupid thing.", he muttered under his breath, massaging his temples. Irritated, Ed picked up the hip flask and peered inside. A single drop of blood hung from the opening, but otherwise it was completely empty. He put it back down and sat down next to Roy again, this time a little closer. "You're hungry, aren't you?", he asked quietly, putting his arms around Roy's shoulders. Roy nodded and returned the hug. Ed kissed him on the lips, this time he could feel Roy's teeth underneath, since they were fully extended. "You could drink a bit of my blood.", he suggested.

Roy immediately grabbed him by the shoulders and held him at a distance from him. "Ed, have you gone mad?!", he wanted to know. His expression was almost panicked and his eyes were wide with shock, to Ed's surprise. "Why? You don't need much, do you?”, he replied and cocked his head questioningly. Roy's gaze wandered down to Ed's neck. His mouth was slightly open and Ed could see the tips of his fangs protruding from his lips, a clear sign of Roy's hunger. "True, but still. Edward, you suggest that far too lightheartedly. You don't realize how much you'd be at my mercy that way.", Roy explained and looked back into Ed's eyes again. His hands ran down Ed's shoulders, over his arms, until they reached and held Ed's hands. Ed scoffed at his words. "I've been at your mercy since I let you into my flat for the first time. I've even slept in your presence, if you wanted to kill me, you could have done it a thousand times. You idiot don't really think I would offer you my blood if I didn't trust you, do you.", Ed said. Again he kissed Roy, longer this time, and immediately Roy wrapped his arms around Ed's waist and pressed him against his chest, not tight enough to hurt Ed, but so tight that Ed could feel that he wasn't nearly as strong as Roy. But that didn't bother Ed, on the contrary, it impressed him. He didn't fight back and Roy would have said more to talk him out of it, but one of Roy's fangs accidentally cut Ed's lower lip. Roy immediately began to suck on Ed's lip, he couldn't stop himself until the wound stopped bleeding, only then did he let go and stared at Ed speechless, as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. "Well", whispered Ed, "It's not bad, is it." Now Roy's will to hold back was broken. A deep growl came from his throat, he sounded like a predatorious animal, and the next moment Ed lay with his back on the mattress, his hair fanned out on the pillow and Roy leaned over him. His eyes glowed as he licked his lips, a little blood was still on one of his fangs. Ed's heart pounded faster when Roy lowered himself onto him. "If it hurts or if you feel dizzy, you let me know immediately. And if I shouldn't hear you, you will hit me with all your strength until I come back to my senses. Do you understand?", Roy growled. It sounded more like an order than an instruction, and Ed nodded hastily, trying to ignore the blush that crept across his cheeks.

Roy tore open the remaining buttons on Ed's shirt and brushed it aside. He leaned over Ed and ran his lips over his skin, his breath tickling Ed, giving him goose bumps. Roy licked over Ed's shoulder, along the side of Ed's neck, to his jaw. Unconsciously, Ed cocked his head to the side, giving Roy easier access to his neck. He felt Roy's teeth against his skin and clung to Roy's shoulders. Roy bit him where his neck ended in his shoulder. It only hurt for a moment when Roy's fangs pierced the skin and dug into the soft flesh, then he pulled them back and closed his lips around the two small wounds. Ed could feel him sucking and swallowing and his eyes dropped close. It was unexpectedly pleasant to feel Roy drink from him, Ed could relax completely. He could feel Roy so clearly on him, in him, as close as if they were connected. It actually made Ed feel sad when Roy let go of him again, but when he felt Roy's teeth up at his throat, he sighed with happiness. A strange euphoria had taken hold of him, and he probably wouldn't have stopped Roy at all, even if he had drunk him empty, but Roy had enough self-control to force himself away from his throat.

He pressed kisses to Ed's neck and chest and took his shirt off of him. "How unbelievably delicious you are.", he whispered against Ed's skin, unbuttoning his pants. Before Ed knew what Roy was doing, he had no pants on anymore. Roy bit him on the inside of his thigh and continued to drink. To Ed's own surprise, he couldn't help moaning in pleasure. His fingers found their way into Roy's hair by themselves, his toes dug into the bedding. Roy let go of him again and licked his lips. He sank down onto Ed once again, but this time he undressed himself before doing so. When he kissed him, Ed could taste his blood in Roy's mouth. It had warmed the vampire's body from the inside, his hands were warm as Ed could feel when they traveled over his body, his lips were warm as Ed felt when he kissed him again and again, on the lips and on the neck and the collarbone, where he left hickeys. And other regions of Roy's body were warm as well as Ed found out when Roy pushed his legs apart and pushed himself in between them, inside of Ed. All night long, Edward indulged in Roy's touches and kisses, enjoyed how he made love to him, and finally he fell asleep in his arms, exhausted but happy.

In the end, Roy had only drunken a small amount of Ed's blood and it didn't keep him satisfied for long. Ed offered him more, but Roy refused to drink from him often, especially when he was really hungry. The question was, what would he do instead, because the butcher shop where Roy usually went to buy blood was still closed and Roy's supplies shrank to nothing in no time. Roy didn't speak a word to Ed on the subject, but Ed could still see that it was bothering him, he was way more irritable and complained of a headache. His teeth were constantly extended, so he had to keep his mouth open so as not to cut his lips. After two weeks, Ed was ready to start imposing his own blood on Roy, but he didn't get the chance to. One evening Roy didn't come to him. Since they'd met for the first time, Roy had visited Ed every single night without exception. Every evening shortly after sunset he was on Ed's balcony, unless he got up earlier and came to Ed in the afternoon. Every single evening, except for this one. It deeply troubled Ed, but he told himself not to get so upset. Other couples did not see each other every single day either, that was not abnormal, Roy probably had something urgent to do and would soon be at his door again with flowers. But he wasn't. The next evening he didn't come either and now Edward was nervous. Nothing could have happened to Roy, a vampire could take care of himself, but still. Everything was alright, Ed told himself. However then he happened to take a look in the newspaper the next day.

Ed rarely read newspapers, but when he happened to see one lying in the canteen, his attention fell on it. A certain article caught his eye. It described how there had been a robbery last night at the other end of town. A businessman had been on his way home from a bar and was ambushed in a cul-de-sac. A few passers-by who were nearby had heard the man scream and hurried over, but the perpetrator had disappeared without a trace and the victim was already dead. His throat had been cut open in two spots with a sharp knife and the contents of his purse were gone, so the police assumed that the perpetrator had wanted to steal the man's money and killed him to silence him. However, what the police could not explain was that the perpetrator had escaped so quickly and that the body apparently bled out very quickly because it was almost fully empty when it was examined. When Edward read the report, he felt sick. Such a newspaper article could have been from the book Dracula, reading something like this in reality made him freeze with terror. This murder had happened when Roy wasn't with him.

Ed was terribly restless the rest of the day. He kept reading the article, hoping to find some clue or detail that would prove Roy had nothing to do with it, but there was no such thing. Ed couldn't decide whether he wanted to talk to Roy or rather not see him, but he was almost scared when he imagined Roy couldn't come to him that evening. It could mean anything. Maybe he was fed up with Ed. That wasn't logical, of course, given that Roy had put so much effort into building up and having a relationship with him and after he had seeked out his company so much, but what if he had changed his mind? Or, if he had actually killed the man from the newspaper, maybe that wasn't his only victim and he was going to kill again tonight? What if it wasn't Roy in the newspaper, but another vampire, what if Roy had had a fight between vampires with it, like in a movie, and now he was hurt or, Ed didn't want to consider it for a second, was dead for real this time?

But when the sun went down, not much time passed before Edward heard the usual knock on his balcony door. He immediately jumped up and opened the door and sighed in relief as he saw Roy. Roy eyed him up and down. He immediately noticed by Ed's behavior that something was wrong. He quietly said good night to Ed and wanted to come closer, but Ed shook his head. "Wait before you come in.", he said, and Roy froze. Ed gulped and took a deep breath. He got the newspaper article off the table and showed it to Roy. "I read this and that sounds like a vampire's attack, so..." Ed's voice failed. It felt so gruesome to accuse a person you trusted so much. Roy scanned the article and his face became serious. "And now you want to know whether I did it.", he said without looking at Ed. He closed his eyes to collect himself, then opened them again and looked at Ed, his gaze so sad and infinitely deep and... old. Roy looked as old as he was for a moment, as if the burden of the many years he had been through pressed him down. "Yes.", he said quietly, almost in a whisper.

Ed turned away from him and paced the room. "You idiot know very well that you could have had my blood. And instead, you just killed some random person?”, he said in a tight voice. "I needed too much, it would have been too dangerous for you. And this attack was not arbitrary. The man I killed cheated on his business partners, beat his wife and drank and gambled away their savings. Do you remember when I told you at the beginning that I wasn't going to harm someone like you? I said that because I knew you have morals and decency. Back then I also told you that I had killed people before, even when I was still a human being myself. Still, you didn't throw me out, you didn't take your invitation back, but now you did.", Roy explained. His eyes followed Ed as he walked back and forth. When Ed looked at him, he noticed that a few leaves of a flower were sticking out of the inside pocket of Roy's coat. He looked away hastily. "This remark that you did this before is miles away from... a real murder. I was worried about you when you didn't arrive at my door and you, you were busy killing someone.”, he whispered. He stopped and looked at Roy. "If I hadn't been nice to you, would you have rated me differently and killed me?", he hissed, not really paying attention to Roy's protest, but continuing to walk back and forth.

"You could have went to another butcher or taken an animal. You could have drunk small amounts from several people without killing them. And instead you made it a real murder.”, he said. Roy shook his head. "You say that because you can't understand what it's like to be a vampire. I tried out all of these methods that you just listed a long time ago, I had enough time for that.”, he explained. Ed ruffled his hair in frustration. Exactly the hair Roy had brushed and braided with so much dedication and an almost childlike smile. How could the hands that had touched him so gently grab someone else so that they couldn't fight back? How could the mouth that had smiled so sweetly, kissed him so tenderly, take someone else's life? Ed shook his head violently. "You were always so gentle with me, so careful. I can't believe that!”, he shouted. Roy gritted his teeth so hard that the sound made Ed flinch. He clasped his hands over his face, leaned against the door frame, and sank down until he knelt on the floor. He stayed like this for several minutes, his shoulders shaking slightly, but without making a sound. He was just hiding behind his hands, not from Ed, but from the whole world. His fear and pain were so palpable that Ed wanted to walk to him and comfort him, but he was completely frozen and couldn't move from his spot.

"So that's why. It should have been clear to me. It's the same as back then.”, Roy whispered after a while. Slowly, very slowly, he dropped his hands and raised his head. Ed was startled when he saw his face. Tears ran from his eyes in a steady stream, as if someone had opened a faucet, but they weren't normal tears, they were mixed with blood. "It's the same as with my sisters. They all rejected me when they realized I was really a vampire. Even those who said at first that they would accept it because I am still their brother, ultimately rejected me when they fully realized that I have become what I am. They didn't take it seriously at first, suppressed their knowledge of it, only saw the side of me that they knew and that I still have, but when they realized that they weren't looking at the whole picture, they cast me off. They called me monster, they called me devil's creature, they never said my name again. As if I voluntarily become this.", Roy sobbed ,"And now it's the same with you. When I met you, I was thrilled that even though you knew what I am from the start, you weren't afraid of me. You were even curious about me and my being, never has anyone been curious. No one has ever accepted me after finding out what I am. I was fascinated and the better I got to know you, the more you found your way into my heart. I should have noticed that this was because you couldn't really imagine that my vampiric side is more than the lack of my reflection and my animal forms. And now that you've figured it out...", Roy broke off and bowed his head. His tears dripped onto the floor, leaving damp stains on the carpet. Ed didn't know what to say, what to do. He felt so miserable and helpless facing Roy's pain.

Ed clenched his fists and stared at the ground. He squeezed his eyes closed, trying not to cry too. There was a quiet rustle as Roy placed the bouquet on the floor. "I would never harm you, so please don't live in fear. I thank you for everything you did for me, all the time you spent with me. It was so pleasant. Please forgive me... for all of that. You will always stay in my heart.", Roy said quietly and when Ed looked up he was gone. Ed ran to the door. "Roy!", he called out into the night, but too late, Roy was gone. Ed sank to the floor and put his hands over his mouth to keep from screaming. His gaze fell on the flowers and he picked them up. They were seven red roses. Ed pressed them to his chest and held his face close to the flowers so he could smell their scent. Roy had brought him seven red roses. Ed burst into tears.

Roy didn't come back the next evening, neither the evening after that nor the evening after that. Every sunset, Ed sat on his balcony and stared at the sky, hoping he would spot a bat somewhere, but that didn't happen. Ed was desperate. He cried as much as he hadn't in years, felt so miserable that he stayed away from classes for a few days claiming he was sick. When he finally had to go back to university, Alphonse pestered him with questions about what had happened and why, but Ed hardly answered. How could he have explained that to him? Ed couldn't go anywhere where he wasn't reminded of Roy. When he sat down in a café, he thought of Roy, when he passed a shop window where suits were displayed, he thought of Roy, when he passed a flower shop, he thought of Roy. He thought of Roy while he brushed his hair in front of the mirror in which he had discovered the lack of Roy's reflection. He thought of Roy when he was sitting at the table under which Roy had hidden the first time they met. He thought of Roy as he collected the fallen petals from the bouquets Roy had given him and which he didn't want to throw away, although he had never cared much about flowers. And he missed him so much. He missed everything about him, how he talks, how he smiles, how he looks at Ed, his fancy black clothes, his way of talking, the way he always had a few strands of hair hanging into his face... Everything. It was like there was a big hole in Ed's chest, as if a part of himself was missing.

Ed started looking for Roy, but it really wasn't easy. He had never thought of asking for Roy's cell phone number, quite possibly Roy didn't have a cell phone at all. When he googled Roy's name, he only got a lot of results for an anime character, not a Victorian soldier. Ed scanned every butcher shop in his larger area, sometimes asking the staff there for someone who matched Roy's description, but they couldn't help him. When he asked Ling if he had seen Roy the cafe lately, he said no. The only place Ed could think of where he could find Roy was the cemetery. The next few nights, Ed sat on the bench, where he'd spotted Roy the day they'd had their first date, for a few hours. The cemetery seemed to be the most likely place to find the vampire, but he saw no sign of Roy. Ed walked through the rows of graves and read the names, but Roy's name wasn't anywhere, so Ed still didn't know where Roy was sleeping during daytime. What he did know was where Roy's friends were, so he walked to their graves. Of course Roy was not there either, but Ed noticed that all the graves that Roy had shown him were neat and tidy, as if someone was taking good care of them and it was quite possible that this someone was Roy. This could be evidence that at least he hadn't left town, but Ed still couldn't find him.

Ed felt hopeless by now. He didn't want to give up, but the search was so unsuccessful and a small voice in Ed's head ruthlessly asked if he couldn't find Roy because Roy didn't want Ed to find him. When another evening passed without him noticing any movement but a flickering grave light across the cemetery, Ed walked to his mother's grave. It was a particularly cold night and Ed wasn't warmly dressed, but he sat down on the cold earth anyway and put his arms around his knees. He looked sadly over the grave. The rose that Roy had placed on it was still there, though withered. Roses. Ed's tears came again and he sobbed softly. Roy had brought him seven red roses. Even though he knew nothing of flower language, Ed knew that Roy had wanted to confess his love to him with the roses, but he hadn't got around to that, because Ed had made him think he didn't want to see him anymore.

The cool wind made Ed shiver, but still he didn't move away. "Mum", he muttered. He put his arms around his torso and rubbed his hands over his upper arms. "Roy's gone away, Mum. And I can't find him.", he told the grave and sobbed. Again tears ran down his cheeks and he didn't bother to wipe them away. "He's just gone. I can't see him anymore, I can't even apologize to him and I can't tell him that I love him either because the bastard is just gone." Ed began to sob more violently and leaned his forehead on his knees. "Oh, Mum, what if I never see him again?! I don't want that! I miss him so much, I want him back!" His words sounded choked and were interrupted by more and more sobbing. He shivered and cried and did not pay any attention to his surroundings at all, so he did not notice that the whole time he had been talking to his mother's grave, someone was standing behind him. He only noticed this when he felt a coat being put around his shoulders and two strong arms pulling him to someone's chest. Surprised, he turned and looked up and when he recognized Roy's face in the light of the grave candles, he unconsciously let out a cry of relief. He wrapped his arms around Roy's neck and pressed himself against him as tight as he could.

Roy returned the hug and pressed his face into Ed's hair. "Ed. Edward. Ed, I've missed you so much.", he whispered in a husky voice. Ed rested his chin on Roy's shoulder. "I missed you too. You shouldn't have left, you idiot. You should have stayed with me.", Ed sobbed. He moved away a little so he could look Roy in the eye and grabbed him by the shoulders. "I love you, Roy.", he said and Roy's eyes widened in surprise, as if he couldn't believe what Ed had just said, "I love you so much. I love you, Roy. I love you just the way you are.", Ed continued, but was then interrupted by Roy kissing him. "I love you. I love you. I love you.”, Ed whispered between kisses. Roy held him tight and silenced him with his tongue in Ed's mouth. Only when Ed couldn't breathe did he let go. "I love you too, Ed.", he said softly. Ed hugged him again and pressed his face into the crook of Roy's neck. "I know. The roses.", he replied and a smile spread across his face as he heard and felt Roy's chuckle that rumbled in his chest. "So you understood that. Good.", Roy muttered. They sat there for quite a while and held on to each other. After all they had to make up for the hugs of weeks. Still, Roy soon stood up and lifted Ed up bridal style. With quick steps he left the cemetery and hurried towards Ed's home. "You're shivering, Ed. You're all chilled. I'll bring you home.", he said worried. Ed could not help but nestle even closer to Roy. It felt so good to have him back with him again, to hear his voice, feel his touch.

Thanks to Roy's superhuman speed it only took a few minutes to get to the front of the house where Ed's apartment was. Roy shifted Ed to one arm and with his now free hand he took Ed's keys and unlocked the door. He rushed up the stairs, unlocked Ed's apartement door and opened it, but then stopped and looked at Ed expectantly. "May I...", he began hesitantly. That was all he had to ask. "Come in. Please, do come in, you are welcome.", Ed almost shouted, making inviting gestures as well. Relieved, Roy stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him. In no time at all he had finished taking off both of their shoes and coats and wrapped Edward in his blanket. Finally they lay clinging to each other in Ed's bed and enjoyed each other's presence. Ed had laid his head on Roy's chest, Roy's chin lay on his head, both had their arms wrapped around each other. "I'm sorry.", Ed whispered into the silence. Roy made a shushing sound to silence him again, but Ed kept talking. The words he had wanted to say to Roy all this time just had to come out. "I'm sorry for what I said. I'm afraid you were right about it all not being clear to me and I was shocked by it, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't accept you. I do. And I don't think you're a monster. And if I'm honest about this guy you killed, from what you told me about him, I probably would have wished someone like that dead, so there's no point in criticizing that he's dead now. When I read that in the paper I didn't think about it, I was too busy being shocked, but none of that changes the way I feel about you, you hear me?", Ed ranted. Roy pressed his face into Ed's hair and didn't utter a word. He just nodded weakly and did not let go of Ed for the rest of the night.

Not surprisingly, Ed had caught a cold from his stay in the cold weather. It got on his nerves and as always when he was ill, he sulked about the injustice of the world, which let consequences follow his actions. But this time it was not as bad as he usually found it, because Roy was almost too excited to take care of him. He made tea for Ed, cooked soup for him and couldn't stop cuddling him. Thanks to him it only lasted a few days and then Ed was better again. 

When Ed was healthy again, Alphonse came by to visit him and check on him. He had been worried a lot about Ed lately. First he had felt so awful because of the fight with Roy about which he refused to tell Al any details, then he was sick. It was a huge relief for Alphonse to hear that Ed had made up with Roy and was healthy again. When he visited Ed, his brother was as happy as can be. He talked to him as if everything was normal and still didn't go into detail about the argument, but told him how Roy had taken care of him afterwards. While doing so he adjusted the flowers in the vase on the big table, a bouquet of red roses. "Speaking of Roy", Ed said, looking out of the window where the last vestiges of sunset were fading into darkness, "I wanted to tell you something about him." Alphonse sat up straight and raised his eyebrows. "Yes? What is it?", he asked. Nervously, Ed tapped the tips of his index fingers together. "I don't quite know how to say this. It sounds like I made it up or I'm kidding, but it's true. Roy is a vampire.", Ed explained, watching his brother's reaction.

Al laughed at first, but stopped again when he saw his serious face. "But, brother, vampires don't exist.", he said and tilted his head. Ed sighed. "That's what I thought, but then one night...", a muffled sound, as if someone had thrown something against the window interrupted him, "...exactly this happened." Ed turned around and went to the balcony door, opened it and picked something up from the balcony. When he came back into the living room, Alphonse saw that he was holding a bat in his hands. He wanted to say something, but he didn't get around to it. The bat flapped its wings and when Ed let go of it, it turned into Roy who fell to the ground and lay there on his back. "Glass doors are the bane of my existence.", he muttered angrily, rubbing his head. His face brightened immediately as Ed knelt beside him and kissed him on the cheek. "And you are the blessing of my existence. Here, for you.", he took a single red rose from inside of his coat and gave it to Ed, which earned him another kiss. Roy got up and followed Ed to the table where he put the rose in the vase with the rest of them. A little embarrassed, he smiled at Alphonse, in a way that showed the tips of his fangs. "You see.", Ed said, "he is a vampire." With his mouth open, Al looked back and forth between Roy and Ed. For several minutes he didn't know what to say, then he threw his hands into the air in an exhausted gesture and sighed. "Oh, you know what, why not? That might as well be true.", he said. Immediately Ed cheered, happy about his brother's approval, and hugged Roy, kissing him again.


End file.
